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They had been walking around the streets of Janet’s neighborhood for almost an hour. Just enjoying the last days of Indian summer and each other’s company. Neither had spoken much since they had stopped for ice cream, but something was obviously on Cassie’s mind, “Sam?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you want to have kids?”
”Someday, sure.”
“You’d make a great Mom.”
“Thanks. I’d like to think I’d be okay at it.”
“I guess you’d have to leave the Air Force though, right?”
“Not the Air Force, necessarily, but I’d give up gate travel.”
“Why?”
”I don’t think it would be fair to have a child and continually put myself at
risk.”
“So, you would have to leave SG-1 at least.”
“Yeah, I would.”
They walked around another block, their shadows growing longer in the fading daylight.
“Sam?”
“Yeah?”
“Would you give up gate travel if you got married?”
“No. Maybe. I guess it would depend. Why?”
“It just occurred to me that you aren’t getting any younger-“
“Thanks!”
“I just meant that if you do want to have kids, you probably would want to start soon, that’s all.”
“Well, there’s not exactly anybody that I’m seeing right now.”
“Right. And since you can’t really date anyone you work with, chances are you would end up with someone outside of the SGC.”
“Maybe.”
“But then wouldn’t it be hard if you couldn’t talk about work with the guy you were with?”
“Now you know why I don’t date!”
“But, if you did find someone - someone worth leaving your job for, to have kids with, you’d do it, right?”
“If the timing was right, yes, I guess I would.”
“So, how do you know when the timing’s right?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe you don’t ever know for sure when it’s right. Maybe you just know when it’s wrong.”
“And it’s still wrong now?”
“I guess I just thought the time would always come… later.”
Cassie stopped walking, and Sam turned around to see what was keeping her.
“Sam?”
“Yeah?”
“It’s later than you think.”
They continued their walk back to the house in silence.
“Cassie?”
“Yeah?”
”Thanks.”
”For what?”
“For telling me what time it is.”
Heading west into the setting sun, her car traveled a path that her mind had memorized years ago. Pulling into the drive, she didn’t hesitate getting out of the car and walking around back to where she could smell the barbeque going. He was flipping burgers, oblivious to her presence, and so she waited until he was through and was about to take a sip of his beer, before startling him, “I’m not sure about your burgers, but I have it on pretty good authority that your hot dogs aren’t bad.”
He turned to see her smiling, “Yeah, well, the hot dogs kept disappearing on me, so…”
“Would you mind if I joined you?” Was she really doing this?
“No. I wouldn’t
mind. Help yourself to a beer, and I’ll
get another burger.”
”Thanks.” Yep. She was doing this.
He returned a few minutes later with the raw meat patty in
hand, and as he added it to the grill, “So, what brings you by?”
“I guess I…. Well, it’s just
that…” She took a deep breath and
decided on the truth, “I lost track of time there for awhile, and I just
realized that it was later than I thought.”
”It’s not even 1900 yet.”
A dry laugh made it’s way past he lips. “No it’s not. Well, then, I’m glad I made it over for dinner at least.”
”You’re welcome anytime.”
“
